Survey guidelines for Australia’s threatened non-flying mammals

Black-footed rock wallaby (MacDonnell Ranges), warru

Petrogale lateralis

States and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

Regions: Central Australia.

Habitat: Rock boulders, escarpments and cliff-lines.

Habit: Ground-dwelling.

Avg. body weight: 4100 g (Eldridge & Pearson 2008).

Activity pattern: Diurnal/nocturnal.

Diet: Herbivore: grasses, shrubs and forbs.

Breeding: Unknown.

Description

Taxonomy within Petrogale has been investigated over the past decade through a number of morphological, chromosomal and molecular genetic studies (see Eldridge et al. 2001; Campeau-Peloquin et al. 2001 for summaries). It is believed that this genus has undergone recent and rapid radiation (Eldridge & Close 1997). We have followed the taxonomy used in Eldridge and Pearson (2008), which recognises:

• 
  P. l. lateralis
  
• 
  P. l. hacketti
  
• 
  P. l. pearsoni
  
• 
  the West Kimberley race, and
  
• 
  the MacDonnell Ranges race.
  

The MacDonnell Ranges black-footed rock wallaby race, as its name implies, has a distribution restricted to the MacDonnell Ranges, which occur primarily in the Northern Territory but also Western Australia and South Australia (Eldridge & Pearson 2008). Like all rock wallabies, it inhabits areas associated with boulder outcrops and escarpments and shelters in caves, on rock ledges and among boulders during the day (Eldridge & Pearson 2008). Shelter sites form an essential part of a rock wallaby’s home range, but animals forage away from their shelter sites during the night (usually at only a short distance but for many species the distance is unknown). All rock wallabies are herbivores that feed on grasses, forbs and shrubs (Eldridge & Pearson 2008).

Survey methods

On the basis of previous surveys, the following survey techniques are recommended to detect the presence of the MacDonnell Ranges black-footed rock wallaby in areas up to 5 hectares in size:

• 
  daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources, such as shelters sites (caves, rock boulders and rock ledges) in suitable boulder pile, escarpment and cliff-line habitats (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.11)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of activity, including tracks, scats and rock shelters worn smooth from resting (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.11)
  

• 
  possibly the collection of predator scats, owl casts or remains, targeting predatory bird and mammal nests and dens (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2.3)
  
• 
  Baited camera traps may be of use in confirming the presence and identity of rock wallabies (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.6)
  

• 
  observations for rock wallabies basking during the day, or becoming active at dusk, using binoculars from a location on the ground beneath suitable habitat or possibly from a helicopter according to a suggested survey technique and effort provided in Section 3.3.11 (heeding caution to minimise disturbance to animals so as to ensure wallabies do not fall).
  

The known range of the MacDonnell Ranges black-footed rock wallaby is restricted to the MacDonnell Ranges (see Eldridge & Pearson 2008) and does not overlap in distribution with other rock wallaby species. Should confirmation of the species identity be required, then cage trapping surveys (conducted according to the description and recommended survey effort provided in Section 3.3.10 and 3.3.11) or genetic analysis of hair or tissue samples may need to be considered. These survey techniques can only be conducted with appropriate permission and licensing from relevant state or territory government organisations.

Similar species in range

No other rock wallaby species are known to occur in the restricted range of the MacDonnell Ranges black-footed rock wallaby.

References

Campeau-Peloquin, A., Kirsch, J.A.W., Eldridge, M.D.B. and Lapointe, F. 2001. Phylogeny of the rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) based on DNA/DNA hybridisation. Australian Journal of Zoology 49: 463-486.

Eldridge, M.D.B. and Pearson. D.J. 2008. Black-footed Rock wallaby Petrogale lateralis. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’ (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 376-380 (Reed New Holland: Sydney).
Eldridge, M.D.B. and Close, R.L. 1997. Chromosome and evolution in rock-wallabies Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae). Australian Mammalogy 19: 123-135.
Eldridge, M.D.B., Wilson, A.C.C., Metcalfe, C.J., Dollin, A.E., Bell, J.N., Johnson, P.M., Johnston, P.G. and Close, R.L. 2001. Taxonomy of rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae). III. Molecular data confirms the species status of the purple-necked rock wallaby (Petrogale purpureicollis Le Souef). Australian Journal of Zoology 49: 323-343.

Black-footed rock wallaby (west Kimberley race)

Petrogale lateralis

States and territories: Western Australia.

Regions: Edgar Range, West Kimberley district, south of the Fitzroy River (Eldridge & Pearson 2008).

Habitat: Rock boulders, escarpments and cliff-lines.

Habit: Ground-dwelling.

Avg. body weight: 3500 g (Eldridge & Pearson 2008).

Activity pattern: Diurnal/nocturnal.

Diet: Herbivore: grasses, shrubs and forbs.

Breeding: Unknown.

Description

Taxonomy within Petrogale has been investigated over the past decade through a number of morphological, chromosomal and molecular genetic studies (see Eldridge et al. 2001; Campeau-Peloquin et al. 2001 for summaries). It is believed that this genus has undergone recent and rapid radiation (Eldridge & Close 1997). These survey guidelines follow the taxonomy used in Eldridge and Pearson (2008), which recognises:

• 
  P. l. lateralis;
  
• 
  P. l. hacketti
  
• 
  P. l. pearsoni
  
• 
  the West Kimberley race, and
  
• 
  the MacDonnell Ranges race.
  

The west Kimberley race, as its name implies, has a distribution in the Kimberley region of Western Australia (Eldridge & Pearson 2008). The race is similar to the P. l. hackettii subspecies from the Recherche Archipelago in Western Australia, in that it only has ten pairs of chromosomes (Eldridge et al. 1991). However, the subspecies P. l. lateralis has a distribution that lies between the west Kimberley race and that of P. l. hacketti.

Like all rock wallabies, the west Kimberley black-footed rock wallaby inhabits areas associated with boulder outcrops and escarpments and shelters in caves, on rock ledges and among boulders during the day (Eldridge & Pearson 2008). Shelter sites form an essential part of a rock wallaby’s home range, but animals forage away from their shelter sites during the night (usually at only a short distance but for many species the distance is unknown). All rock wallabies are herbivores that feed on grasses, forbs and shrubs (Eldridge & Pearson 2008).

Survey methods

On the basis of previous surveys, the following survey techniques are recommended to detect the presence of the west Kimberley black-footed rock wallaby in areas up to 5 hectares in size:

• 
  daytime searches for potentially suitable habitat resources, such as shelters sites (caves, rock boulders and rock ledges) in suitable boulder pile, escarpment and cliff-line habitats (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.11)
  
• 
  daytime searches for signs of activity, including tracks, scats and rock shelters worn smooth from resting (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.11)
  

• 
  possibly the collection of predator scats, owl casts or remains, targeting predatory bird/mammal nests/dens (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.2.3)
  
• 
  Baited camera traps may be of use in confirming the presence and identity of rock wallabies (description of the survey technique and recommended effort is outlined in Section 3.3.6)
  

• 
  observations for rock wallabies basking during the day, or becoming active at dusk, using binoculars from a location on the ground beneath suitable habitat or possibly from a helicopter according to a suggested survey technique and effort provided in Section 3.3.10 (heeding caution to minimise disturbance to animals to ensure wallabies do not fall).
  

The known range of the west Kimberley black-footed rock wallaby is restricted to the western Kimberley (see Eldridge & Pearson 2008) and does not overlap in distribution with other rock wallaby species. Should confirmation of the species identity be required, then cage trapping surveys (conducted according to the description and recommended survey effort provided in Section 3.3.10 and 3.3.11) or genetic analysis of hair or tissue samples may need to be considered. These survey techniques can only be conducted with appropriate permission and licensing from relevant state or territory government organisations.

Similar species in range

No other rock wallaby species are known to occur in the restricted range of the west Kimberley black-footed rock wallaby.

References

Campeau-Peloquin, A., Kirsch, J.A.W., Eldridge, M.D.B. and Lapointe, F. 2001. Phylogeny of the rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) based on DNA/DNA hybridisation. Australian Journal of Zoology 49: 463-486.

Eldridge, M.D.B., Close, R.L. and Johnston, P.G. 1991. Chromosomal rearrangements in rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) IV. G-banding analysis of the Petrogale lateralis complex. Australian Journal of Zoology 39: 621-627.
Eldridge, M.D.B. and Pearson. D.J. 2008. Black-footed Rock wallaby Petrogale lateralis. In ‘The Mammals of Australia’ (Eds. S. Van Dyck and R. Strahan) pp. 376-380 (Reed New Holland: Sydney).
Eldridge, M.D.B. and Close, R.L. 1997. Chromosome and evolution in rock-wallabies Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae). Australian Mammalogy 19: 123-135.
Eldridge, M.D.B., Wilson, A.C.C., Metcalfe, C.J., Dollin, A.E., Bell, J.N., Johnson, P.M., Johnston, P.G. and Close, R.L. 2001. Taxonomy of rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae). III. Molecular data confirms the species status of the purple-necked rock wallaby (Petrogale purpureicollis Le Souef). Australian Journal of Zoology 49: 323-343.